5 Things Everyone Wants in the Obi-Wan Kenobi 'Star Wars' Movie

Hello there.

Star Wars fans were shocked and overjoyed as news spread on Thursday that a standalone Obi-Wan Kenobi film is almost certainly in the works. While this has yet to be 100 percent confirmed by Lucasfilm, the news from The Hollywood Reporter makes the likelihood of the movie materializing very, very high. Which, makes a lot of sense. Other than C-3PO and R2-D2, Obi-Wan is the only Star Wars character who appears in or is mentioned, in every single existing film. (His voice speaks to Rey in The Force Awakens, and he is mentioned in Rogue One.

So, because of his saga-spanning presence, a movie focused exclusively on Obi-Wan “Ben” Kenobi would have a wealth of material to draw upon. And in terms of a prequel story, figuring out how Obi-Wan went from being Ewan McGregor in Revenge of the Sith to Alec Guinness in A New Hope would not only be fascinating, but endlessly satisfying. Also, like Han Solo, Obi-Wan is a cool enough character that having a standalone movie about just him wouldn’t necessarily require a non-Star Wars person to know a lot beforehand.

Still, for the faithful, there are a few components pretty much every fan will want in this movie. With that in mind, here are five things the Obi-Wan Kenobi movie should probably incorporate, or face the wrath of Star Wars fans everywhere.

1. Ewan McGregor

This seems like a no-brainer, but casting Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan is totally essential for this film to be successful. While fans continue to debate the merits of the Star Wars prequels, almost everyone can agree that Ewan McGregor’s portrayal of the young Obi-Wan Kenobi is not only great but actually added dimension to the character. He’s every bit the canonical Kenobi, just as much as Sir Alec Guinness. Recasting Obi-Wan would be too much for fans to handle, even ones who don’t like the prequels.

Also, casting McGregor would ensure that the movie would have to place at a specific time. place at a specific time. As the actor said back in 2016 “I’m the right age.” What this means, is that he’s the right age to play Obi-Wan in exile on Tatooine, leading up to the events of the very first Star Wars film.

Article continues below

The revolution will not be televised. It'll be sent to your inbox by us.

Sign up for our newsletter:

2. Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse

When Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse played the younger versions of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru in 2002’s Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones, their screen time was much smaller than fans had hoped. And when the pair appeared in Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith in 2005, they literally and no dialogue. Obviously, if the Obi-Wan movie takes place on Tatooine — with the venerable Jedi watching over young Luke — then Luke’s foster parents should be in the picture, too.

Since his turn in the prequels as Owen, Edgerton has become a huge star. Not only was he a convincing Tom Buchanan in the 2013 Great Gatsby, but he’s set to star as an Orc with Will Smith in the fantasy drama Bright later this year. In short, Edgerton is a huge deal now, so bringing him back would add even more star power to the movie than it already has. Piesse isn’t as big of a draw of course, but like McGregor, she is the canonical Aunt Beru, no matter what!

3. Liam Neeson Ghost

Speaking of star power, Obi-Wan Kenobi’s former master — Qui-Gon Jinn — should definitely return to haunt old Ben in this movie. Since starring in Star Wars: Episode I— The Phantom Menace in 1999, Liam Neeson has voiced the maverick Jedi Master a few times. He briefly speaks from beyond the grave in Episode II, and also returned as a ghost during the Clone Wars cartoon. Because Qui-Gon supposedly is the one who taught Yoda and Obi-Wan how to become ghosts, seeing how this happened would be a huge treat for fans. Even if it was only for an instant.

4. Scum and Villainy

When Obi-Wan and Luke head into Mos Eisley A New Hope, Obi-Wan already seems pretty familiar with the spaceport, famously calling it “a wretched hive of scum and villainy.” But how does he know that? In a standalone Obi-Wan movie, hopefully, we would find out. By the time Luke is grown-up, Obi-Wan is pretty comfortable just whipping out his lightsaber in a bar and cutting off some dude’s arm just to shut him up. Did Obi-Wan learn this kind of rough-and-tumble behavior before? It seems like this wasn’t his first time in that bar. Particularly because he says “all the best freighter pilots will be found here…but watch your step…this place can be a little rough.”

5. Child Luke Skywalker

Ostensibly, Obi-Wan’s job at the end of Revenge of the Sith is to hang out on Tatooine and “watch over” Luke Skywalker. However, by the time of A New Hope, Obi-Wan seems to keep his distance from the Lars homestead. A few Star Wars comic book stories have depicted a few run-ins between Owen Lars and Obi-Wan, mostly in which the Lars family blames Kenobi for putting Luke in danger. Still, Luke is totally aware of Obi-Wan in A New Hope and presumably has even met him before. “Boy am I sure glad to see you!” he says after Kenobi rescues him from the Tusken Raiders in the classic film. So, if a standalone Obi-Wan movie takes place on Tatooine, then hopefully that means audiences will finally get to see the very first meeting between the elder Kenobi and the young Skywalker.

There is no official release date for the Obi-Wan movie, nor has it been confirmed by Lucasfilm.